You Don't Know
by reinkarnation
Summary: 13/Cam femslash. Aftermath of S5E9 "Last Resort". Thirteen doesn't know. Well, not yet anyway. *UPDATED* Chapter 3 is up!
1. Chapter 1

It's quite long, so bear with me. And read my lips. It's. Chee. Sy. Thoughts are in italics. Some words that aren't thoughts are italicized for emphasis. And, oh, I might write a sequel, cos I think I left it hanging. I'm just tired, cos I wrote this all in one day – today. But do know I enjoyed it. So cheers.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. And the show.

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**You Don't Know**

Thirteen opened her eyes. She wasn't quite sure if she was alive, but the first thing she saw wasn't the ceiling. Or the fluorescent lamp. Or the hospital TV. It was a _she_. With vision blurred by the lights, she squinted to see the person on her bedside.

_Dr. Cameron._

When she saw Cameron, the first thing that came to Thirteen's mind was how thankful she was that it wasn't House. That would've been a very horrible sight. Then it finally dawned on her that it was Cameron. _Dr. Allison Cameron._ Somehow it wouldn't have surprised her if it was Foreman, Kutner, Taub or even House sitting on her bedside. Or Chase – poking her kidneys with a scalpel. Or Amber – inviting her to the Other World. But Cameron?

"Hi," Thirteen said, relieved that she could still talk. Kidney failure, apparently, doesn't affect your speech. She almost asked Cameron why she was here, but thought better of it as it might sound like she didn't like her presence.

Cameron smiled her signature smile. "Hi. How are you?"

"I'm walking on sunshine," Thirteen said sarcastically as she struggled to sit.

"Don't move," Cameron said, smiling and holding Thirteen's arms to stop her from moving.

"What's gonna happen to me?" Thirteen said, sinking back to her bed. She couldn't sit well.

"Well, you'll be on dialysis for a week. You'll be alright." She held Thirteen's gaze for a few seconds before looking away and helping her lie down comfortably. "So… do you need anything? Water? Food? Do you wanna watch TV? Or –"

"Dr. Cameron!" Thirteen said to catch Cameron's attention. Cameron stopped rambling and looked at her. "I'm okay," Thirteen assured her.

Cameron looked relieved for a while there. Then she frowned, remembering she was supposed to be mad at Thirteen. Well, not _supposed to_, but she was mad at her anyway.

"What's wrong?" Thirteen asked when she saw the other doctor frowning.

"Why did you do that?" was the first thing that came out of Cameron's mouth, and Thirteen instantly knew what she was talking about.

Thirteen looked away. "Okay, we're not talking about this."

"No. We _are_ talking about this," Cameron insisted. She wasn't someone who would normally force people, but this was a serious matter to her.

"No, we're not. Look, Dr. Cameron, I really don't wanna talk about it right now," Thirteen said, still not looking at the other doctor. House had already scolded her; she didn't need to hear it from Cameron too.

"Oh, sure. Right. You just pretend like nothing happened! Don't you know that you're lying on what could've been your deathbed??" Cameron reprimanded.

Thirteen looked at her as if she were crazy. _Why is she scolding me??_ The last time she checked, Cameron was just that doctor in the ER who House orders Thirteen and the guys to annoy once in a while. And suddenly she finds Cameron on her bedside scolding her? _Is she punishing me for obeying House's orders to annoy her??_

"What is wrong with you?" Thirteen asked, clearly weirded out.

"What is wrong with _you_??" Cameron shot back.

"What? Are you crazy? Did you take meth again?" Thirteen mocked, getting a little frustrated herself. She didn't want to pick a fight with Cameron, but the older doctor obviously started it. If Cameron wanted a fight, then two could play that game. The only problem was Thirteen was not really sure what they were fighting about. Or why they were even fighting at all.

Cameron wasn't even surprised that Thirteen knew about her methamphetamine incident with Chase. That happened light years ago, but everyone in the hospital knew about it, and apparently, that old buzz just didn't die. "Ha! That's funny! If I remember it correctly, weren't _you_ the one taking _all_ the drugs?" Cameron retorted, referring to what happened to Thirteen during the incident earlier today. She didn't mean to sound frustrated, but she _was_ frustrated.

That was the last straw. Thirteen's choice of actions in what happened earlier today was none of Cameron's business. "Okay, that's it. You wanna talk, okay let's talk. What is your problem??" Thirteen said.

"_You_ are my problem!"

"Really? Since when?? Remind me! Cos it seems to me that I've forgotten!"

Silence. Cameron couldn't say anything. What Thirteen said hit a nerve. Cameron bit her lip as she realized that she, in fact, had nothing to do with Thirteen – well, _nothing_ that Thirteen knew of, anyway. Her presence itself in this room was not something Thirteen would've expected first thing as soon as she woke up.

No, Thirteen wasn't supposed to be her problem. And now Cameron wanted to kill herself for weirding her out.

"What? Aren't you going to say something?" Thirteen asked, not really sure if she really wanted Cameron to say something.

But Cameron didn't look like she wanted to say something either, because now her lips were pursed and trembling, and she looked like she was going to burst into tears any moment from now.

"Oh my God. Dr. Cameron… Cam… Oh God…" was all Thirteen could say. _Oh no, she's going to cry. Just great. What did I do to deserve this? I'm a good person._ Pushing away all the sarcastic thoughts, she held out her hand to touch Cameron, but Cameron moved away enough for Thirteen to _not_ reach her even if she tried. Oh, the pain of being bedridden.

They just stayed that way for a while – Cameron sitting silently, trying to hold back her tears, and Thirteen just lying on her bed (believe me, she's not capable of doing anything else at the moment), looking guiltily at her. _How did I become the villain in this? I'm the one who had kidney failure!_

"I have never been so scared for someone in my entire life," Cameron suddenly blurted out, breaking Thirteen's thoughts. Her voice was shaking and almost a whisper. Thirteen wasn't sure if she should respond to that. She tried to think of something to say that won't bring Cameron to Cryville. Well, she wasn't given time to think about that anyway as Cameron continued to talk. "You don't know how scared I was, Dr. Hadley. You don't know how hard it was to just sit there, trying to be calm and acting like everything's gonna be okay when it's not. I… I was doing the best I could to look composed. You don't know how scared I was. You don't know…"

Silence. Surprised, Thirteen just looked at her, waiting to see if she has something more to add, but Cameron just sat there, trembling. _Where is all this coming from? _She met Cameron's eyes, not knowing that Cameron was wondering the same thing.

"You're right. I don't," Thirteen finally said, looking down at her hands. _I don't know…_

"I don't think I was even able to function well when you were wheeled to the ER," Cameron said, surprising even herself at her own confession. What was just a harmless hospital visit was slowly turning into the Opening of Pandora's Box – well, Cameron's Box.

Confused at everything Cameron just said, Thirteen wasn't sure if everything she just heard registered to her brain – influx of info courtesy of her most unlikely visitor. _Why is this woman in my room to begin with? _Because the truth is, Thirteen didn't want Cameron to come here just to scold her and to tell her that she was scared. _No._ Thirteen was still having trouble dealing with personal issues about death, and having someone visit her after a frightening event just to confess her own fears was not exactly therapeutic. _No, Dr. Cameron, I'm not a good psychologist. _Heck, even Thirteen needed _her_ own psychologist.

Thirteen looked at Cameron. "Dr. Cameron… why?" she asked, trying to be direct to know where Cameron was coming from.

"What?"

"Why are you saying these things to me?"

Cameron was mortified, because she herself didn't know why she was saying these things to her. She quickly ignored Thirteen's question and went back to the topic she first tried to open up. She wanted to know why Thirteen acted the way she did during the incident, because everything was just not making sense to her right now. Cameron wanted to know why, because, honestly, she was really scared. "Dr. Hadley, why did you do that? What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't."

"I don't want you to die," Cameron said, biting her lower lip, anxious of what Thirteen is going to think about that.

"I don't wanna die."

"Well, you should've realized that before you volunteered to be a guinea pig!" Cameron exclaimed. No, it wasn't okay with her that Thirteen had injected herself willingly about three times with three different drugs.

Exhausted, Thirteen rolled her eyes. Just when the tension was settling down, Cameron just _had to_ explode once more. _Okay, here we go again. _She wasn't in the mood to have another bout with Cameron. No, she was not going to let Cameron pick a fight with her again.

"Dr. Cameron… shh… It's okay. It's over, and I'm alive. Okay? Let's not talk about it anymore. Look at you… shh… don't cry. It's okay," Thirteen said, looking imploringly at Cameron who had tears welling in her eyes. She wondered how on earth she got into this situation. _I'm not supposed to be the one doing the comforting! _Just the thought of herself comforting someone – let alone someone like Cameron who she barely knew – made her cringe. She would really dread the day she'd make Cameron cry, and she silently hoped Cameron would just let it go, because all she just wanted to do at the moment was to just lay there in peace – she was just really tired, and reminiscing about today's happenings wasn't going to help her recover. She could only be thankful she wasn't traumatized by that nightmare of an incident.

Cameron, however, was not just going to let it go. "No, Dr. Hadley, it's not okay. It's partly my fault why you're here. I was the one who suggested Cushing's Syndrome. And you got sicker. And your kidneys failed. I will never forgive myself. It would've been my fault if you d—"

"No. Look, whatever drug that was, I was sure to be in pain since I took meds that I wasn't supposed to take," Thirteen said, finally seeing what's bothering Cameron. "I got sick because of all the drugs. _Not_ because of you. Well, not entirely," she chuckled, joking. "You just had a misdiagnosis. Even House made the wrong diagnoses. Doctors can really mess up sometimes. But hey, you got it right. It really was Melioidosis. So… you saved the day. Congratulations," Thirteen finished, trying to make light of the situation after she saw Cameron still looking guilty and ready to crawl up in a hole and die.

"It's not funny," Cameron said, fidgeting and staring at the floor. It really wasn't. No matter how much Thirteen was going to assure her it wasn't her fault, Cameron was still going to blame herself anyway. That's how her conscience works.

"I'm… sorry?" Thirteen said – more like asked, not really sure if apologizing was the right thing to do since Cameron wasn't really looking amused. Thirteen's heart went out to her. She could understand why Cameron would feel that way, but still she didn't want Cameron blaming herself, because it really wasn't her fault. "Hey, it's not your fault. Or anyone else's. If anything, it was _my_ fault. I'm responsible for my actions. I was reckless. I was just… stupid, I guess."

"Yeah, what you did was pretty stupid."

"Real stupid." And with that, the two women looked at each other and shared a smile for the first time that day. It was always nice to see Cameron smile. Thirteen didn't know her that much, but she really loved seeing her smile. It could light up a room. Or probably even the entire hospital – especially the hallways that Dr. Gregory "Oh, I'm gloomy; let's fill this world with darkness" House walked by.

"So why did you do that?" Cameron said, bringing it up again.

"You just wouldn't let it go, would you?" Thirteen smiled. Cameron was being so childish, insisting to get what she wants. "Dr. Cameron, we all know I'm dying anyway," Thirteen answered.

"Dr. Hadley, just because you're dying doesn't give you license to kill yourself."

Cameron made sense, but Thirteen was stubborn. "It's Huntington's. Sooner or later, I will have to die," Thirteen said, trying to remember how they got into this conversation in the first place. She surprised even herself why she suddenly opened up to Cameron. She never opened up to anyone – especially about her death.

Furious at Thirteen for conceding to her fate just like that, Cameron stood up and went nearer to her. "Is that really the way you think?? Well then, if you're just going to concede to your death, why don't you just let your terminal illness kill you?? Huh?? Why do _you_ have to kill yourself?? What's the rush?? Is it because you're a control freak, and you wanna control your death, and –"

"I wasn't rushing my death. It was either me or the patients. Sick patients. I couldn't let Jason put their lives in danger than they already are," Thirteen defended herself, although she silently hesitantly agreed with Cameron that she was a control freak. She was aware that her illness was giving her barely 8-10 years left to live, but she wasn't going to believe that. Somehow she always feared that she might die as early as the next day, and that's why her need for control had gotten worse over the past few days – especially since that day she learned she was dying – that even her death itself was something she felt like she needed to control.

"You're sick too," Cameron said, looking as if she was pleading Thirteen to take care of herself.

Thirteen ignored her. She just wanted to get her point across before Cameron explodes again. "Patients come in this hospital to get well. _Not_ to get themselves under hostage."

"And you… you're –"

"Dying," Thirteen finished for her. "Dr. Cameron, when Titanic sank, and there weren't enough life vests and life boats, I don't think anyone wanted to save the person with the terminal illness. And besides, I'm a doctor. When Titanic sank, the captain had to die because –"

"No. The captain had every right to live as much as everyone," Cameron interrupted. She couldn't believe the way Thirteen's mind works. "_Had to"? She made it sound like the captain was meant to die. Is that the way she thinks about herself too?_

Thirteen wasn't being fair to herself – it's like she didn't even treat herself like a normal person. Cameron didn't want Thirteen to keep that mentality. _Just because you're dying doesn't mean you have to die now._ But right now, she was just mad at Thirteen for being so stubborn and so blind.

Cameron stuck to the Titanic captain metaphor. "I dunno how he died, but from what I heard, he just opted to die, because he's a big coward," she continued. "No, wait," she said, pretending to ponder over something. "That sounds like you. Trying to be all martyr, but inside, you're just scared, because you're losing control over your life, and you just wanna end it because –"

"You know what, yeah. I _am_ a coward. Happy now?" Thirteen said, putting an end to Cameron's sarcasm.

Cameron ignored her anyway. "Or maybe, maybe you just wanted to be the savior! Oh, look, it's Dr. Hadley – everyone's hero! You like the sound of that?! Huh?!" she said in animated sarcasm.

"I'm really… trying my best… to not hate you right now," Thirteen said, pausing between words for impact and effect. And apparently, it worked, because Cameron finally shut up and sat back down. Hate is a strong word, but Thirteen knew she didn't mean what she said to her even if Cameron was starting to be slightly annoying. She could never hate the ER doctor even if she tried. And what's worse is Cameron knew that as well. Cameron had been nothing but nice to her – well, until now – and Thirteen had nothing but respect for the older doctor, but this very moment, Cameron was being such a child and such a bitch.

She had never seen Cameron like this before. Cameron was always nice and… well, "nice" pretty much sums up everything. But today, she was a bitch. As much as Thirteen was awed at finally getting to see the not-necessarily-nice side of Cameron the Compassionate Doctor, she… wasn't really feeling happy to see the not-necessarily-nice side of Cameron the Compassionate Doctor. _Can't she even wait for a week for me to get well before she starts bitching at me? Gawd, she's even worse than House. At least House doesn't take advantage of my being bedridden by hanging out in my room to scold me._

"Why are you doing this to me??" Thirteen asked.

"To let you know that putting your life in danger, no matter how martyr you may be, won't be appreciated by some other people. Other people who care for you," Cameron answered immediately as if she had already anticipated the question.

_Actually, Dr. Cameron, no one cares for me. _Thirteen smirked before looking down at her hands to avoid Cameron's eyes that were trying to read her. The last thing she really needed right now was for Cameron to suddenly confess that she was psychic and could read minds, or Thirteen would be so dead. _She thinks I'm that reckless to just put my life in danger like that. But she doesn't know… that I was scared too._

"I was… just as scared as everyone else. But there just seemed to be no other choice," Thirteen said.

"Life is always a choice."

Thirteen looked up at Cameron. "If that wasn't my choice, do you think I'd be here, alive, in this room right now? I would've injected that last drug, but I didn't. I couldn't. Cos I don't wanna die."

Cameron wanted to slap herself. _Right. That made sense. _And for the first time in that conversation, she had nothing left to say.

"Look, I did what I did because… it was the most sensible thing to do. Let's face it, I'm dying. So if someone's life had to be put at risk, it might as well be mine. And I'm a doctor. Patients' safety first before myself. That's really all there is to it," Thirteen said, ending the argument. Everything she said was true, but she left out the part about her desperate need for control during that situation. She was still in denial about that.

"I know you would've done the same thing if you were me," Thirteen said, looking Cameron straight in the eye, and Cameron's eyes softened – those familiar kind eyes that Thirteen usually gets a glance of when she's walking around the hospital. Thirteen subtly let out a sigh of relief. Cameron the Compassionate was finally in the room. Thirteen was thankful that Cameron was finally sparing her the lecture, because for a while there, she thought Cameron was turning into Nurse Brenda or something.

Silence. _Great. Now she's not talking anymore. This is not good._

"So…" Thirteen said, breaking the silence and trying to start a conversation – well, a conversation completely different from the last one. She'd rather go back to sleep, but she didn't really think she'd want to, what with Cameron just sitting beside her. Who knows, Cameron might inject her something while she's asleep to have the last laugh. Smiling to herself, Thirteen brushed off the silly impossible thought and opened a conversation. "If you haven't realized, this is our first moment together. Alone. And we're fighting. Oh, this is definitely the start of a wonderful friendship," she said sarcastically, laughing.

Cameron smiled, feeling guilty for starting the squabble. "I'm sorry."

Thirteen eyed the older doctor silently, her blue cat eyes piercing through Cameron's own blue. "Dr. Cameron, what's wrong? Why are you mad at me? Why are you being so difficult? I don't really understand your behavior right now."

"It's nothing. I'm just… selfish," Cameron said, looking down at the floor.

"What? What are you talking about? How are you selfish? What –"

"I don't want you to die," Cameron explained.

Silence.

"I was so scared," Cameron repeated, avoiding eye contact.

Thirteen studied Cameron carefully, and she looked like she really meant what she said. Otherwise, she wouldn't have scolded her to begin with. But Thirteen was still confused why Cameron would be scared for her. "I'm… sorry," Thirteen said, not sure what to say. "Sorry for making you feel… whatever you're feeling right now."

"No! Dr. Hadley, you don't understand! You don't know anything! You don't know how I felt when I was just… just there, not knowing whether you're going to come out of all this alive! If everything was hard for you, it was harder for me! I haven't had the chance to know you yet, Dr. Hadley! You just can't die! You just can't! The whole time, I was thinking about how I'm gonna regret it my whole life if you died without knowing how –" Cameron stopped as she realized the horror of what she just said. The Opening of Cameron's Box had been way too much. Her heart raced as Thirteen just looked at her with confused eyes, awed at her emotional outburst.

Cameron panicked. "I'm… I'm sorry, I have to go. Just call the nurse if you need anything." And with that, she quickly flew out of the room.

"What? Dr. Cameron!" Thirteen called out to her, but she had already gone. Thirteen suddenly had a feeling she won't see Cameron again for a long while.

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Let me know what you think. I might write a sequel if inspiration hits me again -- like it did today.


	2. Chapter 2

Just a quick update. This chapter was supposed to be longer than it is, but I decided the other part would just be chapter 3. You know the drill. Thoughts are in italics. Some words that aren't thoughts are italicized for emphasis. This is what happens when I watch too much _House of Tiny Tearaways._ Cheers.

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It was another ordinary day in Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital – except that it was _not_ exactly _that_ ordinary. While accidents and freak injuries were not new in the ER, there were an unusually large number of them today. Patients were everywhere – some from car accidents, some with something pointy sticking out of a body part, and some with… well, missing body parts.

It was two in the afternoon, and Cameron was running back and forth in the ER, trying to remember why she wanted to be a doctor in the first place. She loved the hype and the adrenaline rush, but with only a few hours of sleep, sometimes she thought it was not worth it. Thank God her heart overpowered her mind. Well, that's Cameron the Compassionate Doctor for you.

"Need any help?" a voice behind her said.

That was a stupid question. Of course she needed help! Because she was not superhuman – that much was obvious, she couldn't attend to all patients all at the same time. _Duh._ Cameron turned to see who talked to her and was surprised to see Thirteen. _Oh, the calm and composed Dr. Remy Hadley._ Cameron doubted if Thirteen even heard the cries of the grieving patients in desperate need of help… and body parts.

"Dr. Hadley," she acknowledged Thirteen's presence before turning around to attend to her patient again.

Thirteen looked taken aback. "'Dr. Hadley'?" Thirteen asked, confused, forgetting that Cameron didn't even answer her first question. _No one calls me Dr. Hadley. I don't call me Dr. Hadley. _So maybe Cuddy, the nurses, and the patients call her that, but other than them? No one else. And, okay, so maybe Cameron calls her that too, but... it still sounded weird.

"Why, aren't you?" Cameron said, not flinching. Who cared if she was being formal? Thirteen's name was the least of her worries right now.

"I am, I am. Umm…" Thirteen trailed off, not really sure what was going on with the older doctor.

Cameron's head was spinning. She didn't know who she should give her attention to anymore. She already had so much worrying her at the moment without Thirteen adding to it. "Listen, can you just please grab a chart and look for a patient? Make sure no one dies," she said, ending their small talk.

_Right. I forgot about that._ Thirteen walked away and followed Cameron's orders. For three straight hours, the ER was a bloody mess. When the chaos subsided, the two female doctors could only sigh in relief.

Thirteen looked around to find the blonde doctor. She was not really here just to offer help. She needed to talk to Cameron. _Needed_ – it was _that_ important. Well, to her at least. When she spotted Cameron – still attending to a patient, surprise surprise – Thirteen walked over from behind. "Everyone's alive," she reported, trying to start a conversation and assuring Cameron everything was alright.

"Good to know," Cameron replied, not really caring whoever was talking to her. It didn't matter – all she wanted to hear at the moment was the word _alive _next to a pronoun.

Seeing how the older doctor was so serious, Thirteen tried to lighten things up. "Well, although that guy who had a pair of scissors sticking out of his hand was –" she stopped when Cameron glanced over her shoulder to give her a good two-second glare. Nothing was funny to Cameron when it came to patients.

Ashamed, Thirteen looked down at the floor. Her attempt at humor was futile. No, she was not funny at all. _Okay. Scissors sticking out of a hand – not funny. _Thirteen silently swore to herself never to even attempt humor again.

After a few seconds, Cameron turned around to come face-to-face with Thirteen. The younger doctor looked just like how she did three hours ago – calm and composed. How she was able to do that, no one knows. Thirteen noticed small bags under Cameron's eyes – she must've lacked some sleep, like she always did – but still honestly thought the blonde doctor looked fantastic. Cameron will always be the ER goddess.

"Thank you for your help," Cameron said, smiling and reaching for the other doctor's hand. Thirteen nodded. "By the way, Dr. Hadley, this is Lance. Lance, this is Dr. Hadley," Cameron introduced her patient and Thirteen to each other.

Lance was a young boy who looked about six years old, and his leg was in a cast. Thirteen didn't really want to know what happened to him. She's just thankful he didn't lose his leg, unlike some of the others in the room. "Hi," she said, smiling at the young boy.

Lance didn't look like he was in pain – maybe the presence of Cameron the Compassionate Doctor was working its magic on him. Thirteen had a brief flashback of Cameron sitting on her bedside after the hostage incident last week.

"You're pretty," was the first thing Lance told Thirteen, and she was caught off-guard. She didn't see that coming. While that sentence wasn't exactly new to her, _that_ coming from a six year old boy with a cast on his leg was… well, new. The male species will always be a mystery to her.

"Thank you," Thirteen said, smiling.

"But Dr. Cameron is prettier," Lance added. Thirteen didn't see that coming either, and she looked amused and mortified at the same time. Not sure how to react, she turned to Cameron for help but instead saw the older doctor stifling her laughter.

Thirteen felt betrayed. _Thanks, you guys. I feel loved._ She couldn't help feeling sarcastic. Looking at Cameron, Thirteen could readily admit that Cameron was indeed prettier than she was, but she was talking to a little boy – and she didn't know how to deal with little boys. Should she joke with him? Or not?

Taking her chances, she decided to joke with him. "Okay, I get it. Who am I to object, right? She's your doctor after all," she said, smiling. Lance didn't smile back. Nervous and not knowing what to make of that, she looked at Cameron again for help but only received a glare that screamed _be nice_. Apparently, Cameron thought that wasn't a joke either. Thirteen then remembered how she swore to herself earlier never to attempt humor ever again. _Ugh, I hate flirting with kids._ No, she wasn't fond of kids.

"Uhh… yeah. Dr. Cameron is prettier, of course," Thirteen said, agreeing with the little boy and trying to redeem herself. Lance smiled, and Thirteen almost let out a sigh of relief the size of Jupiter. She didn't realize it was _that_ easy to deal with kids. Somehow it was easier to flirt with kids than with… _not_ kids. "But do know that I have a patient upstairs, and he said I'm prettier than your doctor, so…" Thirteen continued, looked at Cameron, and smiled, "we're even."

Cameron chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind."

"I think Dr. Cameron is prettier too," someone from a nearby bed said. The voice belonged to a little boy who looked exactly like Lance.

"Dr. Hadley, this is John, Lance's twin brother. John, this is Dr. Hadley," Cameron introduced them to each other. John's arm was in a cast. When you think about it, the twins looked like they just got back from World War IV. No, not a pretty sight.

Thirteen couldn't believe her luck – or lack thereof. _Twins. Great. They're ganging up on me._

Laughing at the priceless look on Thirteen's face, Cameron patted her arm. "You ran out of ammunition huh, Dr. Hadley?" she said.

Thirteen rolled her eyes and raised her hands up in surrender. The evil twins smiled at her.

This time, Cameron actually came to the rescue when Thirteen was starting to look like she was dreading to be in this place right now. "Now John, just because you and your brother said I'm prettier than Dr. Hadley doesn't mean that's true, right?_ I,_ for one, think Dr. Hadley is prettier than I am. And I'm sure Dr. Hadley has another patient upstairs who would agree with me," Cameron said, laughing. The twins smiled at her. She was really _that_ good with kids – or with just about anyone, for that matter.

Thirteen wondered why they were all even arguing about who was prettier than whom. Who cared, really? _This is a terrible conversation. It should never be repeated._

"But you're really pretty too, Dr. Hadley," John said, breaking Thirteen's thoughts. Thirteen couldn't help but smile. Little boys were not that bad after all – they were just a little difficult to flirt with.

"Why, thank you," Thirteen said, patting John's head.

"See? They don't hate you. They just think I'm prettier," Cameron laughed. Joking around with Thirteen was actually fun, though her sense of humor was kind of dry – even if she didn't mean for it to be dry.

Lance tugged on Cameron's lab coat to get her attention. "How come I didn't see her here earlier today, Dr. Cameron?" he asked, and Thirteen was suddenly reminded why she really came to the ER.

"What? Oh. Umm… she doesn't work in this section of the hospital," Cameron answered.

"So why is she here?"

_Good question. _Cameron looked at Thirteen. It took her a while to realize that Thirteen was alone – meaning, no Kutner, no Taub, no Foreman. Usually when she came here to the ER, the guys were always with her. Okay, so maybe Thirteen came here _alone_ to help… _but a better question is: why is she still here?_

"Uhh… I'm going to answer that. With you. In private," Thirteen said, looking at Cameron straight in the eye.

"Okay. _After_ I attend to Lance and John, Dr. Hadley," Cameron said and went back to attending to the twins. She figured that whatever it was Thirteen was here to talk about, it could wait.

Silence.

_Okaaay._ Thirteen opted to wait and thought it was probably best if she didn't argue with the older doctor. Patients will always be on top of Cameron's priority list. And it seemed to Thirteen that she wasn't even in that list at all. So… no other option but to wait.

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Let me know what you think. And, oh, to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter, thank you. Chapter 3 ain't written yet, but it's in my head. If you wanna get ahead of yourselves and read chapter 3, try reading my mind (good luck with that, though). :p

To Broody03, DeviousRobynno, Smudje, E. Christianna, VillageVoice, RJ11, Akiha-chan, Piper -loves you-: Thanks for the reviews. You guys are awesome. And because you're awesome, you get free cookies! LOL.

To Broody03: Actually, the death of the captain of the Titanic is not known. Some said he died with the ship -- like how he did in the movie. Some also said he froze to death in the water. Well, in my story, Cameron said, "I dunno how he died, but from what I heard blahblahblah." So, Cameron doesn't really know. But, don't worry, you're still awesome! And you still get a free cookie! LOL.

Again, let me know what you all think.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, so this update is long overdue. Sorry about that. LOL. Anyway. Yeah, so I was admitted to the hospital for the past week or so, and during my time there, I somehow got inspired by the atmosphere to continue this story. This chapter was supposed to be longer than it is (or at least that was how I planned it in my head), but this was all I could manage to write cos... well, I really wasn't in the best of situations. LOL. Cheers.

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"I think you freaked my patients out," Cameron said as she exited the twins' curtain in the ER. She just finished checking up on Lance and John and, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder, motioned for Thirteen to follow her.

The brunette, who had been waiting for Cameron just outside, could only gawk at her. "I beg your pardon?" she asked, not really sure if she heard the other doctor correctly. Judging by how Cameron started this conversation, _this is going to be ugly_.

"You just stood there like some creepy mannequin," the blonde said, walking to the nurse's station with the younger doctor on her heels.

With a creased forehead, Thirteen tried to decide whether Cameron was kidding or not. _Looks like she wasn't._ Apparently, for her, when someone talked about creepy mannequins, it was serious. (Don't worry, Thirteen, no judgment here.) Kidding aside, it wasn't about the mannequin that made Thirteen think Cameron was serious. Once that ER doctor started talking about her patients, you'd have to stick it into that mass of convoluted lasagna in your head (more appropriately known as your brain) that she's friggen serious. If you didn't, there would be war. You were warned.

Thus, Thirteen explained herself, "I was waiting for you. I wanted to offer you my help, but you looked like you didn't need me."

Cue in millisecond beat.

"_It_. I mean _it_. Not _me_. _It._ Umm…" Thirteen corrected herself quickly. After the words escaped her lips, she felt the urge to bang her head on the wall. _Stupid stupid stupid. _What was wrong with her? She was acting like a complete idiot.

There was something about interacting with Cameron that made her feel a little wary about herself. It was probably because everyone liked to think that she was designated as the new Cameron (though it wasn't _that_ true), Thirteen reckoned. Or it was probably because of, you know… something else that Thirteen still had yet to figure out for herself.

Thank God Cameron didn't even notice Thirteen's inner battle. She was too busy reprimanding. "Well, the least you could have done was to stop looking at the twins as if you're going to smother them with a pillow."

"What?" came the reply with a snort. "Wait, let me get this straight. Was that why you sent me out of the curtain? You think I _scared_ them?"

If you can recall, Thirteen told Cameron earlier that she wanted to talk to her. Apparently, after a few minutes, Cameron sent her out of the curtain. Now Thirteen finally knew why, and she couldn't believe she was sent out and made to wait outside because Cameron thought she scared the kids. _That's absurd. I'm a doctor._ Heck, if all doctors who looked scary weren't allowed to see patients, then House should never come face-to-face with his. _Oh wait, he really doesn't._

Hugging some patients' files to her chest, Cameron stopped on her tracks and turned to face the other doctor. Despite Thirteen's figure looming over her, she somehow didn't seem daunted. "Dr. Hadley, I know you normally look like that, but –"

Thirteen had to interrupt, "I'm sorry, I normally look like _what_?"

The shorter woman looked a bit uneasy, not knowing how to point it out without making it come off as an insult. They were barely friends, and if she ever made a wrong move, the word _civil_ would never be found in the Cameron-Hadley dictionary ever again.

"Like… _that_," Cameron said as she saw Thirteen's eyebrows furrow.

It couldn't be denied that the brunette really had quite an intensity about her features. But despite that, Cameron never failed to notice each time how that serious look Thirteen always wore came with a certain calm. She looked serious but laid-back. She worked intensely but calmly, walked sturdily but gracefully. She was a living human paradox – robust but sensitive, firm but kind, candid but self-contained. _Quite an enigma, this girl._

And if you happened to meet her by the hospital hallways, her aura could either intimidate you or allure you. Cameron always felt both around her (though leaning more towards _allured_). And right now, in this split second, she marveled at the thought of how Thirteen was impossible to fathom, yet every single piece of her mystery was part of her charm.

"You think I _normally_ look like this," Thirteen concluded along with a smirk.

With that, Cameron's heart skipped a little. _Oh my God. I just offended her, didn't I? Well, shit._ And one should always take note that a cursing Cameron was either an angry Cameron or a nervous Cameron. _Angry_ or _nervous_ were rare for her. Especially when someone who didn't usually make her feel that way made her feel that way – in this case, that someone was Thirteen.

Cameron might not admit it, but she herself was a woman of pride. It might not be as high as that of House's, but it was the kind of pride that made her think that there were certain people she shouldn't feel tense about. House's new diagnostics team didn't make her nervous. She never felt anything when interacting with Taub. Or Kutner. And certainly not Thirteen. (And just to be clear, last week, when Thirteen was involved in that hostage situation, Cameron wasn't nervous. She was scared. _Scared_ is an entirely different level of emotion.)

_Thirteen never makes me nervous. _Cameron reminded herself as the younger doctor stared at her with those cat eyes. _And today won't be the day she will._

Cameron resumed walking, trying to get her job done (which was to deliver some files to the nurse's station). But, really, all she wanted was to avoid eye contact with the brunette whose eyes were starting to burn everything they gazed at… and making her nervous. "Listen, my point is, Lance and John are kids. You can't look at them like that."

Thirteen smirked again. _Unbelievable. Did you see the death glares they were throwing at me?? Why don't you tell them they can't look at doctors like that? _This discussion already seemed too silly to be taken seriously. "Hold on, why is this conversation about me freaking your patients out?"

"Because you did. And you can't do that in the emergency room where everyone is already freaked out," Cameron reasoned out, pretty much saying that if eyes could kill, Thirteen should never be allowed to come down to the ER and have a look at patients. Well, Cyclops, you were not the only one, it seemed.

Feeling a bit agitated by how Cameron was making her feel like the villain, Thirteen shot back, "I can't help it if I look like this, can I? I mean, apparently, _someone_ told me I _normally_ look scary." At this point, she was almost sure that pretty much all hopes of her and Cameron becoming friends were in shambles.

Cameron was contrite. "I never said that. You just look… dead serious, that's all."

"Well, that's the ER for you, where people are either dead or serious. That being said, I fit in perfectly well to that place, cos I'm very dead, and I'm very serious. I'm not dead yet, obviously. But I'll get there. It's --"

At that, Cameron abruptly turned around to look daggers at the brunette. She understood Thirteen's reaction – she knew she offended Thirteen and knew that was coming. But her talking about death like that? _Unnecessary._

"Dr. Hadley, how dare you?! I can't believe you're insensitive enough to say that! What makes you think I'll allow you to speak that way about my patients or about yourself?! That will be the last time I'll ever hear that from you!"

Cue in Thirteen's heartbeat.

"That wasn't funny! Don't ever say that again! Not to me, not to anyone, not ever!" Cameron ended.

Startled and a bit taken aback by the outburst, Thirteen just stared at the blonde. She had never seen Cameron so worked up about something ever since their encounter last week by Thirteen's hospital bed. It was amazing how Cameron could care and scold effectively at the same time. Whenever she did that, it was impossible to tell if one should feel flattered or ashamed. It didn't matter, however, because Thirteen was mortified.

"Dr. Hadley, are you listening?" Cameron said, disturbing Thirteen's thoughts. "Are we clear?"

People passing by the hallways were looking strangely at them. If it were any other day, Thirteen couldn't have cared less if strangers stared, glared, or scrutinized her, but not today. The image alone of her and Cameron walking together was already weird enough, and Cameron scolding her in the middle of the hallways was creating a scene. Who could _not_ look at that?

No matter how Thirteen tried to ignore the people staring at them, she couldn't help feeling embarrassed. She knew it was foolish of her to talk about death like that – especially to someone like Cameron the Compassionate – and she had never felt so conscious in her entire life. That scene couldn't have happened any other way though. Thirteen was feeling offended and bitter, and her reaction was understandable. It was one of those spur-of-the-moment moments.

As Cameron signaled for the passers-by to carry on with what they were unanimously doing (which was actually just… passing by. Duh, what else), Thirteen looked down and almost shrank. "I'm sorry, Dr. Cameron."

"It's fine. Just watch what you say next time." _And I'll have to do that as well._

Ahh, lovely. What a lovely exchange that was. Would've been lovelier if a slap on the cheek was involved. Kidding aside, who else thought that that conversation was ugly? Yes, everyone did. Okay, maybe except one person. Guess who. Only one sadistic person could come to mind.

After a couple of minutes just standing there, the two women walked silently to the nurse's station.

And, yes, Thirteen has yet to talk to Cameron about something. Let's all hope that conversation wouldn't turn out like this one. Cross all your fingers and toes, folks.

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Let me know what you think.


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